Construction machine management apparatus and construction machines management system

ABSTRACT

Assessment information needed to calculate a used vehicle assessment value of a hydraulic excavator  10  is input to a portable telephone  20  and is then transmitted from the portable telephone  20 . The transmitted assessment information is received at a manufacturer&#39;s base station  40  at a remote location. The used vehicle assessment value of the hydraulic excavator  10  is calculated based upon the received assessment information, and history information and operation information on the hydraulic excavator  10  read out from an operation information database  43  and a history database  42  in correspondence to an ID number assigned to the hydraulic excavator which is included in the assessment information.

[0001] The disclosures of the following priority applications are herein incorporated by reference:

[0002] Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-127123 filed Apr. 25, 2001

[0003] Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-127126 filed Apr. 25, 2001

[0004] Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-127127 filed Apr. 25, 2001

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The present invention relates to a technology whereby various types of management of construction machines are carried out with a high degree of efficiency through the use of communication terminals such as portable telephones.

BACKGROUND ART

[0006] The methods adopted in the related art to carry out various types of management for construction machines are explained below.

[0007] (1) Used Vehicle Assessment Management

[0008] When determining the assessed value of a used construction machine, the current condition of the construction machine needs to be considered in addition to the past maintenance history, the number of operating hours and the lke. In the related art, the condition of a construction machine is determined by a service person who travels to the work site with a specific assessment form (checklist) for the construction machine to be assessed and fills out the form with the results of the assessment with regard to the various check items. Then, he manually calculates the assessed value with a pocket calculator or the like by incorporating the history information and the operation information mentioned above into the assessment results. However, a method that involves such manual work is not efficient.

[0009] (2) Inspection Information Management

[0010] When a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator is inspected in the related art, a service person visits the work site with a specific inspection form (checklist), fills out the form with the results of the inspection of various check items, takes the form back to the office and enters the contents of the form into a specific database from a terminal. This method requires the service person to fill out the form and then enter the contents into the database, and is not efficient. In addition, there is a problem with this method in that if the inspector is a service person dispatched by a rental company, the inspection information is not readily available to the manufacturer.

[0011] (3) Operation Information Management

[0012] There are monitoring systems in the related art (e.g., Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. H10-140616) achieved by providing a device that collects data related to the operating status of a work machine such as a construction machine or a dump truck at individual work machines and allowing the data collected at the collection device to be transmitted to a remote base station through a means for communication. While such a system achieves an advantage in that the operating status of each work machine can be accurately ascertained on the base station side, the operation data cannot be checked or overwritten on the work machine side.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention provides a management method that makes it possible to carry out various types of management of construction machines with a high degree of efficiency through the use of communication terminals such as portable telephones.

[0014] In the method for construction machine assessment according to the present invention, information required to assess a construction machine is input to a portable information transceiver and is transmitted, the transmitted information is received at a base station at a remote location and a used vehicle assessment value with regard to the construction machine is calculated based upon the received information, and history information and operation information on the construction machine read out from a specific database in correspondence to the received information.

[0015] The construction machine assessment system according to the present invention comprises a portable information transceiver used to input and transmit assessment information that is required when assessing a construction machine, a reception device that receives the assessment information transmitted from the portable information transceiver, a database in which history information and operation information on the construction machine are stored in correspondence to an identifier assigned to the construction machine and an arithmetic unit that calculates a used vehicle assessment value of the construction machine based upon the received assessment information, and the history information and the operation information on the construction machine read out from the database in correspondence to the identifier of the construction machine which is included in the assessment information.

[0016] The portable information transceiver may be a portable telephone. It is desirable that the arithmetic unit starts the calculation of the used vehicle assessment value in response to the reception of the information from the portable information transceiver.

[0017] The arithmetic unit may transmit an assessment item checklist to the portable information transceiver upon judging that a used vehicle assessment form transmission request has been issued from the portable information transceiver. In such a case, the portable telephone may include a display unit for displaying the transmitted checklist so that the used vehicle can be assessed with a high degree of efficiency by referencing the checklist displayed at the portable telephone.

[0018] In the construction machine inspection information transmission/reception method according to the present invention, the results of an inspection conducted on a construction machine are entered into a portable information transceiver, the inspection information thus input is transmitted from the portable information transceiver, the transmitted inspection information is received at a base station at a remote location and the received information is then recorded into a database as inspection information corresponding to the construction machine.

[0019] Specific inspection items transmitted from the base station may be received at the portable information transceiver in advance, and the results of the inspection conducted with regard to these inspection items may be input to the portable information transceiver for transmission. It is desirable that the inspection items and the inspection results having been input be displayed at a display unit of the portable information transceiver.

[0020] The construction machine inspection information transmission/reception system according to the present invention comprises a portable information transceiver used to input the results of an inspection conducted on a construction machine and transmit the input inspection information, a reception device provided at a remote location away from the construction machine to receive the inspection information transmitted from the portable information transceiver and a storage device that stores the inspection information received at the reception device into a database in correspondence to an identifier assigned to the construction machine, which is included in the inspection information.

[0021] The construction machine inspection information transmission/reception system may further comprise an inspection item transmission device that transmits inspection items to the portable information transceiver upon judging that an inspection item transmission request has been issued from the portable information transceiver. In this case, the portable information transceiver may include a display unit for displaying the inspection items transmitted from the inspection item transmission device. The portable information transceiver may be a portable telephone.

[0022] The portable telephone according to the present invention comprises a selection device that selects either a communication mode in which communication is executed or a data input mode in which various types of data are input from a control device of a construction machine, a data input device to which data are input from the control device of the construction machine in the data input mode and a display unit at which the data input through the data input device are displayed.

[0023] Alternatively, the portable telephone according to the present invention may comprise a selection device that selects either a communication mode in which communication is executed or a data output mode in which various types of data are output to a construction machine, and a data output device that outputs various types of data to the construction machine in the data output mode.

[0024] It is desirable that the portable telephone according to the present invention include both the data input device and the data output device.

[0025] The portable telephone-compatible construction machine according to the present invention comprises a reception device that receives various types of data from a portable telephone such as that described above, a recording unit that records operation information and the like with regard to the construction machine and an overwrite device that overwrites data inside the recording unit based upon the various types of data having been received. 

1. A construction machine assessment method, wherein: information required to assess a construction machine input to a portable information transceiver is transmitted from the portable information transceiver; the transmitted information is received at a base station at a remote location; and a used vehicle assessment value with regard to the construction machine is calculated based upon the received information, and history information and operation information on the construction machine read out from a specific database in correspondence to the received information.
 2. A construction machine assessment method according to claim 1, wherein: the portable information transceiver is a portable telephone.
 3. A construction machine assessment system comprising: a portable information transceiver used to input and transmit assessment information that is required when assessing a construction machine; a reception device that receives the assessment information transmitted from the portable information transceiver; a database in which history information and operation information on the construction machine are stored in correspondence to an identifier assigned to the construction machine; and an arithmetic unit that calculates a used vehicle assessment value of the construction machine based upon the received assessment information, and the history information and the operation information on the construction machine read out from the database in correspondence to the identifier of the construction machine which is included in the assessment information.
 4. A construction machine assessment system according to claim 3, wherein: the portable information transceiver is a portable telephone.
 5. A construction machine assessment system according to claim 3, wherein: the arithmetic unit starts calculating the used vehicle assessment value in response to receiving the information from the portable information transceiver.
 6. A construction machine assessment system according to claim 4, wherein: the arithmetic unit transmits an assessment item checklist to the portable information transceiver upon judging that a used vehicle assessment form transmission request has been issued from the portable information transceiver; and the portable telephone includes a display unit at which the transmitted checklist is displayed.
 7. A construction machine inspection information transmission/reception method, wherein: the results of an inspection conducted on a construction machine are entered into a portable information transceiver; the inspection information having been input is transmitted from the portable information transceiver; the transmitted inspection information is received at a base station at a remote location; and the received information is recorded into a database as inspection information corresponding to the construction machine.
 8. A construction machine inspection information transmission/reception method according to claim 7, wherein: specific inspection items transmitted from the base station are received at the portable information transceiver in advance; and the results of the inspection conducted with regard to the inspection items are input to the portable information transceiver and are transmitted from the portable information tranceiver.
 9. A construction machine inspection information transmission/reception method according to claim 8, wherein: the inspection items and the inspection results having been input are displayed at a display unit of the portable information transceiver.
 10. A construction machine inspection information transmission/reception method according to any of claims 7 through 9, wherein: the portable information transceiver is a portable telephone.
 11. A construction machine inspection information transmission/reception system, comprising: a portable information transceiver used to input results of an inspection conducted on a construction machine and transmit the inspection information having been input; a reception device provided at a remote location away from the construction machine to receive the inspection information transmitted from the portable information transceiver; and a storage device that stores the inspection information received at the reception device into a database in correspondence to an identifier assigned to the construction machine which is included in the inspection information.
 12. A construction machine inspection information transmission/reception system according to claim 11, wherein: the portable information transceiver is a portable telephone.
 13. A construction machine inspection information transmission/reception system according to claim 11, further comprising: an inspection item transmission device that transmits inspection items to the portable information transceiver upon judging that an inspection item transmission request has been issued from the portable information transceiver, wherein: the portable information transceiver includes a display unit for displaying the inspection items transmitted from the inspection item transmission device.
 14. A portable telephone comprising: a selection device that selects either a communication mode in which communication is executed or a data input mode in which various types of data are input from a control device of a construction machine; a data input device to which data are input from the control device of the construction machine in the data input mode; and a display unit at which the data input through the data input device are displayed.
 15. A portable telephone comprising: a selection device that selects either a communication mode in which communication is executed or a data output mode in which various types of data are output to a construction machine; and a data output device that outputs the various types of data to the construction machine in the data output mode.
 16. A portable telephone comprising: a selection device that selects a communication mode in which communication is executed, a data input mode in which various types of data are input from a control device of a construction machine or a data output mode in which various types of data are output to the construction machine; a data input device to which the various types of data are input from the control device of the construction machine in the data input mode; a display unit at which the various types of data input through the data input device are displayed; and a data output device that outputs the various types of data to the construction machine in the data output mode.
 17. A portable telephone-compatible construction machine comprising: a reception device that receives various types of data from a portable telephone according to claim 15 or 16; a recording unit that records operation information and the like with regard to the construction machine; and an overwrite device that overwrites data inside the recording unit based upon the various types of data having been received.
 18. A data transmission/reception method achieved by utilizing a portable telephone, wherein: various types of data are taken into the portable telephone from a control device of a construction machine; the various types of data having been taken in are transmitted to a base station from the portable telephone; and the various types of data transmitted from the portable telephone are received at the base station.
 19. A data transmission/reception method achieved by utilizing a portable telephone according to claim 18, wherein: the data transmitted from the portable telephone and received at the base station are processed at the base station; the processed data are transmitted from the base station. to the portable telephone, which has transmitted the unprocessed data; the processed data transmitted from the base station are received at the portable telephone; and the received data are displayed at the display unit of the portable telephone.
 20. A computer program product for a portable telephone containing a program that enables a computer in the portable telephone to execute; a selection procedure to select a communication mode in which communication is executed or a data input mode in which various types of data are input from a control device of a construction machine; a data input procedure to input the data from the control device of the construction machine in the data input mode; and a display procedure to display the data input through the data input procedure.
 21. A computer program product for a portable telephone containing a program that enables a computer in the portable telephone to execute; a selection procedure to select either a communication mode in which communication is executed or a data output mode in which various types of data are output to a construction machine; and a data output procedure to output the data to the construction machine in the data output mode.
 22. A computer program product for a portable telephone containing a program that enables a computer in the portable telephone to execute; a selection procedure to select a communication mode in which communication is executed, a data input mode in which various types of data are input from a control device of a construction machine or a data output mode in which various types of data are output to the construction machine; a data input procedure to input the data from the control device of the construction machine in the data input mode; a display procedure to display the data input through the data input procedure; and a data output procedure in which the data are output to the construction machine in the data output mode.
 23. A computer program product according to any of claims 20, 21 and 22 achieved as a recording medium having the program recorded therein.
 24. A computer program product according to any of claims 20, 21 and 22 achieved as a carrier wave on which the program is embodied as a data signal. 